Wicomico Co. man held without bond on murder charges

FRUITLAND, Md. – WMDT has obtained new details in the case of a man accused of murdering his mother in Wicomico County.

According to charging documents, the investigation began at around 9 p.m. Sunday, when paramedics were called to 220 Sandcastle Boulevard in Fruitland for a non-breathing person. The victim, identified as 68-year-old Beatrice Gentry, was found lying in the floor of a bathroom in the residence, next to a bathtub full of bloody water. Despite resuscitative measures, Beatrice was pronounced dead at the scene.

Beatrice’s husband, Alvin Gentry, was the one who called 911 after finding her unresponsive in the bathroom. In a subsequent interview, Alvin told police that his son, 48-year-old Jeremy Gentry, had gotten into an argument with Beatrice and that after the argument, he went to his car. He told police that Jeremy got into the vehicle a short time later, and he drove Jeremy to Snow Hill. When Alvin got home, he found Beatrice.

Following a search and seizure warrant at the Fruitland residence, police obtained evidence and information that led police to locate Jeremy in the area of 204 S. Morris Street in Snow Hill. During the early morning hours on Monday, Maryland State Police executed a search and seizure warrant at the Snow Hill location, locating and arresting Jeremy.

Police say Jeremy admitted to getting into an argument with his mother regarding his drug habits and $20. Jeremy allegedly stated that Beatrice had always been verbally abusive and that he wanted her to stop yelling at him. Jeremy then asked his father to wait for him in the car and asked for a ride to his ex-girlfriend’s house. When Alvin went to the vehicle, Jeremy allegedly went into a shed on their property, grabbed a crowbar, and proceeded to hit his mother in the head with the crowbar approximately six times while she sat at the kitchen table. He then admitted to dragging her unresponsive body into the bathroom, filling the bathtub with water, and throwing her body into the tub, at which point he reportedly slit her throat with a knife and stabbed her twice in the lungs. Jeremy then told his father that Beatrice “went for a walk”.

Jeremy Gentry is being held without bond on first and second degree murder, first and second degree assault, and reckless endangerment charges.